


Charlie Weasley and the Forbidden Forest

by Calmseeker



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-10
Updated: 2019-08-10
Packaged: 2020-08-14 08:28:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20189284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Calmseeker/pseuds/Calmseeker
Summary: A story that takes place during Charlie Weasley's 6th year at Hogwarts as a Gryffindor Prefect. His first-year brothers Fred and George have gone into the Forbidden Forest, and he chooses to go in after them to bring them back. Takes place around September 1989.





	Charlie Weasley and the Forbidden Forest

**Author's Note:**

> Something I wrote for a class a while ago.

It was a warm September night as if autumn was clinging onto the vestiges of summer. The sky was covered with drifting clouds with slits of moonlight illuminating the Great Hall. At the Gryffindor table, a sixth-year was finishing up his dinner. On his robes, he wore a silver pin with a “P” engraved on it that stood for Prefect. He had red hair, freckles sprinkled over his face. He had a stocky build, yet his movements suggested that he was more dexterous than he appeared.

Charlie Weasley furrowed his brow in thought as he headed for the Gryffindor common room. His conversation with the Gryffindor Quidditch captain Alfred Bennett during practice today had brought up a conflict he’d been wrestling with ever since he had gotten the results of his O.W.L. back last summer. He’d made a promise to himself that if he didn’t get an “Outstanding” in Care of Magical Creatures, he would pursue a career in Quidditch. Even his mother, who wasn’t the biggest fan of Quidditch, had encouraged this line of thinking, saying it would be a safer bet than working with large, dangerous creatures, despite his efforts to convince her that was exactly why the wizard world needed more people looking out for such beasts. So even after he had received his “O,” a part of Charlie wondered if it would be a smarter choice to try becoming a professional Seeker rather than handling dangerous creatures. His rather extraordinary record in the past five years as a Seeker had made this line of thinking particularly tempting. He had discussed this conflict with professor McGonogall during career counseling last year and again at the start of this year. She had told him to consult the teacher for Care of Magical Creatures professor Kettleburn. He had been unable to do this last year due to studying for O.W.L.s, and so far he had failed to muster up the resolve this year. Kettleburn’s rather high-energy attitude during classes and his rather rapid exit afterwards, despite his prosthetic limbs, didn’t make things any easier. As he finished dinner and walked back to the Gryffindor common room, Charlie decided he would send an owl to Bill, his closest sibling. 

“Hopscotch,” grunted Charlie, revealing the entrance to the common room behind the portrait of the Fat Lady. He sat down at a sofa and scribbled a short letter telling Bill how things were going in Hogwarts and asking how he was doing at his new job in Gringotts. As he walked up to the Owlery, he noticed that his younger twin brothers Fred and George weren’t there. He had seen them during Quidditch practice a few hours ago, and he had assumed somewhere in his head that they had followed him to dinner and made it to common room before him. What’s more, the twins had been present in the common room constantly for the past few days after dinner, chatting eagerly with a first-year named Lee Jordan whom Fred and George had shared a carriage with in the Hogwarts Express. He wondered if they had already gone to bed. On a Friday night though? It occurred then to Charlie that maybe he was worrying too much, yet a lifetime living with the twins at the Burrow had honed a sixth sense within him that detected when they were up to mischief. He knew it was only a matter of time ever since the act they pulled during the Sorting.

He walked over to Evelyn MacDonald who was sitting near the fireplace. She had fair black hair and also had a pin with a “P” on her robes.

“Hey Evelyn, have you seen Fred and George tonight?”

“No, can’t say I have. The last time I saw them was when they were walking to the Quidditch field with you for practice this afternoon,” replied Evelyn, raising an eyebrow. “Why? Do you think they’re up to trouble?”

“Maybe. I don’t have any proof. Just fraternal instinct. It’s probably nothing.”

“Those two can be funny, even if they are breaking the rules and giving us more work to do. I’m still impressed with the bold joke they pulled during the Sorting a couple of weeks ago. One minute, professor McGonogall’s about to put the Sorting Hat on Fred-”

“George,” corrected Charlie.

“Right, George, when Fred suddenly speaks up and shouts that he’s the real Fred. I’ve never seen anyone make a fool out of themselves _ intentionally _ during a Sorting before. Took a solid minute for the Hall to settle down,” chuckled Evelyn.

“McGonogall looked like she wanted to shove the Sorting Hat onto both of their heads and get it over with,” said Charlie with a wry grin. “Anyways, could you tell me if you see them? I’m going to drop by the Owlery.”

“Sure. Don’t forget you have patrol duty tonight,” said Evelyn. Nodding in appreciation, Charlie waved and walked off.

At the Owlery, Charlie found a grey barn owl. After feeding it a few Owl Treats from his bag, he tied his letter to Bill to its foot and set it off into the warm, cloudy night. He was about to walk down back to the common room when he noticed a distinct movement in the grounds below. His instincts told him to look, so he peered out over the ledge. It was only for a brief second but Charlie managed to see a pair of figures with bright red hair run off into the Forbidden Forest.

Charlie bit his lip as he processed what he’d just witnessed. Why would Fred and George go into the Forbidden Forest? A stupid question. He had known it was bound to happen eventually. It was only a matter of time since Dumbledore had made his annual announcement that the Forbidden Forest was strictly off-limits. Had anyone else seen them besides himself? Probably not. Even if someone had, it didn’t change what he had to. As their older brother and a Prefect, he had to go after them. He wondered briefly if he could come up with a better plan, but he knew he couldn’t afford to waste any time, not when his brothers were getting into trouble. 

He dashed down the stairs and returned to the common room. “Evelyn, I need you to tell McGonogall that Fred and George are in the Forbidden Forest, and I’m going after them,” he said, panting slightly.

Evelyn looked at him in shock. “How do you know that? Shouldn’t we wait to get instructions from professor McGonogall-“

“I can’t afford to spend time looking for her or anyone else right now besides my brothers! I’ll get help from Hagrid. Can you cover patrol duty for me while I’m gone?”

“Alright,” nodded Evelyn quickly as she got up and stuffed her things into her bag. “Just make sure to find them before they hurt themselves?”

“That’s what I intend to do,” said Charlie. He then strode over and clambered out of the common room hole.

He was dimly aware of passerby staring at him as he ran down the stairs two steps at a time but ignored them. When he reached the courtyard outside, he ran through his mind, trying to recall which way he had seen the twins run off to in the Forest. He was fairly confident that it had been northwest. That would have to do. He raced to Hagrid’s cabin that was lit up with smoke coming up of the brick chimney. He hammered on the wide wooden door with his left hand, wiping his sweaty brow with his right. Loud barks emanated from the cabin and a large man with wild hair opened the door, allowing a black dog run out to greet Charlie. Despite his concerns, he managed to tickle the dog gently under its chin, causing it to hum with joy. This act also managed to calm Charlie down as he placated any other issues he had and devoted a few seconds to this simple yet fulfilling task. 

“Ge’ off ‘im, Fang,” said Hagrid, pulling Fang off of Charlie and back into his cabin. “All right, Charlie? What brings you around ‘ere this time o’ the night? Do you have a message from professor Kettleburn?” I’m still working on his wooden leg-“

“No, no that. Hagrid,” Charlie said, snapping his focus back into attention. “A few minutes ago, I saw my brothers Fred and George run into the Forbidden Forest.”

Hagrid’s eyes widened and blinked slowly. “Blimey, is that so? I didn’t see ‘em, they must ‘ve slipped by. I was busy carving a spare wooden pros’etic for Kettleburn-“

“As much as I’d like to stay and chat Hagrid, right now I need your help in finding my brothers. I already sent someone to tell McGonogall, but you know the Forest better than anyone. Can you come right now?”

“’Course, m’ bad. I’ve had a bottle o’ Firewhiskey since it’s a Friday an’ all. Makes it easy to ramble,” said Hagrid as he grabbed his crossbow, pink umbrella, lantern, and Fang after strapping it onto a leash. “Did ya see which way they went?”

“I have a vague idea. Somewhere northwest,” said Charlie as the pair walked briskly towards the Forbidden Forest. 

“In that case, how about we split off to cover more ground?”

“Fine. In that case, Let’s decide how to contact each other once we’re in the Forest. How about shooting red sparks into the sky if there’s trouble them and green sparks if either of us finds them?”

“That should work. I’ll go this way with Fang,” said Hagrid, pointing to the left part of the northwestern section of the Forest. He clapped Charlie on the shoulder once, almost making him stumble onto the ground, and set off into the woods, Fang barking and running alongside him. Composing himself, Charlie set off for the right part of the northwest section of the Forest. He withdrew his wand from his robe pocket and whispered “_ Lumos, _” lighting the tip of his wand and using it to get a better view of his surroundings. As he left the outskirts and went deeper into the Forest, the canopy became denser, darkening the understory. He maneuvered his way deftly over roots and branches, his movements nimble and swift honed from his years as a Seeker as well as his experience spent in the outdoors for Care of Magical Creatures. Moonlight sifted through the leaves and illuminated more of his surroundings as he called out for his brothers. “Fred?” he called out in a loud yet controlled tone. “George?” The minutes passed by until he was beginning to dread unpleasant possibilities when he heard soft rustling. It sounded like it came from a nearby oak tree. He pointed his wand towards the tree. Could it be a bowtruckle? It would hardly be a surprise, Charlie thought to himself, considering how ancient many of the trees were. He contemplated whether he should step back or try to send a warning in case a bowtruckle decided he was threatening to harm its tree. Then, a mound of bushes rustled, and a moment later he saw it. 

A grotesque spider that looked like it was engorged to a monstrous proportion emerged scuttling from a bush next to the oak tree. It was almost as wide as Hagrid and half as tall. Its eyes were like marble beads that reflected the moonlight. Its jaws clacked hungrily as it reached out to grab Charlie’s waist. Charlie scrambled for a second before he managed to point his wand and cried out, “Impedimenta!” The spell hit the acromantula in its thorax, pushing it back by several feet. Charlie used this to quickly back away to the oak tree, making sure to avoid the reach of its poisonous fangs. The acromantula recovered from its daze and resumed its pursuit. “Stupefy!” yelled Charlie. But it had expected it and moved deftly out of the way just in time, the red light grazing one of its legs, making only that leg freeze. Fortunately, Charlie’s reflexes that he’d honed from his time outdoors and catching Snitches managed to dodge just in time, making the acromantula slam into the oak tree’s trunk. Unfortunately, in his haste, he dropped his wand, extinguishing the wand’s light. The spider clacked its mouthparts in frustration and turned towards him, preparing for another tackle. Suddenly, two figures dropped down from the branches of the tree and landed directly onto the acromantula’s abdomen. It shrieked in surprise, giving Charlie enough time to grab his wand from the ground and aim his wand at the spider’s head. “Stupefy!” yelled Charlie again, and as the flash of red light soared towards it, the two figures rolled away to safety. The Stunning Spell hit the acromantula squarely in the eye, freezing the creature completely

Breathing a sigh of relief, Charlie looked around at the individuals whom had aided him. They had red hair and freckles across their cheeks… it only took a split second to realize who they were. Before they had the chance to react, Charlie grabbed the Weasley twins firmly by each of their shoulders. “Hello, Fred. Hello, George,” he said coolly.

“Hey Charlie!” Fred piped up. “Fancy running into you here around this time of night.”

“Would you mind telling me what drove the pair of you to waltz into the Forest tonight?”

“What, besides the fact that it’s called the _ Forbidden _Forest?” chirped George. “Bloke who came up with that name must have forgotten the fact that if you call something forbidden, anyone would want to do it at some point in their lives.” 

“Thought we’d start things off by coming into the Forest and then get business started for real next week,” Fred piped up. “We wanted to see if those rumors about werewolves being in the Forest were true or not. Lee said that he saw a werewolf, or, well, a shadow of a werewolf near the outskirts of the Forest last week.”

“But that git Montague from Slytherin kept claiming that Lee was lying, and we couldn’t take that lying down for our new friend,” said George indignantly.

“And did you think about what to do once you encountered an actual werewolf?” Charlie said, a hint of anger creeping into his voice.

Fred noticed this and said hurriedly, “That’s why we were hiding on top that tree so we could witness the werewolf passed us by. After that, we would have headed back to our dorm with noone being the wiser.” 

“What we didn’t expect is to find a bloody giant spider,” George said excitedly.

“I’m sure you didn’t,” muttered Charlie. “I’ve heard that there’s an acromantula colony near Hogwarts from professor Kettleburn, but this is my first time seeing one as well. Well, I hope the pair of you are ready to go back now, before I have to send an owl to mum, _ right _?” he said resolutely.

Fred and George opened their mouths to protest, but upon hearing mention of their mother, they nodded reluctantly.

“Oh right, I almost forgot. I should tell Hagrid I’ve found you guys. He’s looking too,” Charlie said as he raised his wand upwards, shooting green sparks into the sky. As if in response, there was a rumbling growl that seemed to emanate from a nearby clearing about a hundred meters away. Flocks of birds scattered into the air, fleeing from whatever had made that sound. 

“What do you reckon that was?” George said, his eyes brightening in excitement. “Let’s go and see, Charlie, come on!” 

The Prefect part of Charlie knew this was a ridiculous idea, yet another part of him wondered about the feasibility of the idea. It was because somewhere inside him, he already knew what creature had made that noise, from the times he had been able to travel last summer around Europe to facilities that studied them… In the end, curiosity got the better of him. He pulled his brothers to his side. “Stay close to me,” he whispered. 

The three Weasleys walked towards the source of the noise and after hiding behind a yew tree, they peered out at the clearing. At the opposite edge of the clearing, there was a pine tree with a small gap at the bottom of its trunk. Within that gap, there lay a young wolf. It was not a cub, but it was not an adult either. Its eyes held a gaze that peered calmly at the woods as if waiting for something. Its grey fur glistened in the moonlight as it licked its foreleg that glistened with blood. 

George grabbed Fred by the shoulder. “We did it! We actually managed to find a werewolf. I can’t wait to tell Lee about this!”

“Keep your voice down,” whispered Charlie urgently. “Besides, it’s not a werewolf. I had to learn how to distinguish a werewolf from a wolf for O.W.L.s. Its snout’s too long, and its tail doesn’t have a tuft.” As he said this, he also noticed that the blood on the wolf’s leg was not from a prey but blood that was seeping from its own limb. Did it get scratched by a sharp branch? Or did it get into a fight with a more dangerous beast? At any rate, he didn’t see any other wolves in the vicinity, indicating that the animal had been separated from its pack. While Charlie pondered if they should turn back to wait for Hagrid, he saw the wolf trying to stand up. However, the moment it put its weight onto the bloodstained leg, it collapsed onto the ground, giving a small whimper of pain. 

His body moved before his mind could register its actions and stop them. After a quick “Stay here” to his brothers, Charlie strode out of his hiding place and approached the wolf to the astonished cries of his brothers. The wolf raised its head and bared its teeth, giving a low growl. He lowered his body and slowed his pace as he drew closer to the wolf, conveying that he meant no harm. He was beginning to become aware of how unlikely this plan was, yet something within him drove him to not retreat. Then, to his amazement, the wolf relaxed its stance and lowered its head between its feet. He was almost a meter away from the wolf. From this distance, he could tell that its eyes were more intelligent than he had given credit, studying him and trying to figure out what his next move would be. He reached out his hand that wasn’t gripping his wand towards the wolf, doing his best to gesture his intentions. A few seconds passed in silence as the wolf stared. Then, the wolf imitated him, stretching out its injured foreleg. The wound looked relatively fresh like the animal had only gotten it in the last hour. Charlie recalled the spell he had seen Madam Pomfrey use last year at the hospital wing. Carefully, with as much precision as he could muster, Charlie pointed his wand from his hand that was behind his torso. “Episkey,” he muttered. The wolf’s leg glowed warmly as the spell healed the injury and sewed up the exposed skin. While it wouldn’t complete heal the wound, it would do for first-aid. Once he was sure the spell had done its job, Charlie muttered, “Tergeo,” wiping the dried blood off the healed leg. Curious, the wolf nudged its newly leg with its snout. After a brief pause, it raised its head upwards and gave a soft howl of satisfaction to the moon. Only then did Charlie realize how much his legs were shaking and his brow was sweating. He swayed, almost losing his balance, when a strong hand grabbed his arm, helping him keep steady. He turned around.

Hagrid stood over him, his eyes beaming with pride. He was holding Fred and George in his other hand by the cuff of their robes, their legs scrabbling as they barely scraped the ground. Fang was hanging over his shoulder, barking in delight.

“Ye did well, Charlie,” said Hagrid. “Can you stand?”

Charlie nodded. Hagrid released his grip, and Charlie wiped the sweat from his brow. Fang barked eagerly at the wolf, which looked at it with moderate disinterest and went back to inspecting its new cast. 

“Let’s get going. We don’t wan’ to stick around for the whole pack to show up,” Hagrid said. “They’ll have heard the call. They can take care o’ the rest.”

“Oh come on, let’s hang around a bit more,” said Fred, dangling from Hagrid’s hand. George grinned at the joke. Hagrid shot them a look of fury that made them fall silent.

“Alright,” said Charlie. Before he left, he bowed briefly at the wolf. Then, he turned and walked back into the woods with Fred, George, Hagrid, and Fang. 

The wolf watched them walk away, her acute eyes staring at the group disappearing into the trees. Her keen ears had picked up his pack’s reply and knew that her brethren would arrive in a minute or two. She would not be allowed to hunt by herself away from the pack for quite a while. But that did not bother her right now. What bothered her more was the giant spider she had barely escaped, causing her to make the fatal mistake of piercing her foreleg on a fallen branch while she made her escape. She would suggest the pack move further south to avoid such dangers that lurked in these parts. She licked her healed leg a few more times and then lay down serenely, waiting for her pack to arrive.

The five of them walked in a roughly straight line, Charlie and Fang leading the way back to Hogwarts by Charlie using the Four Point Spell to guide them back southeast, Fred and George in the middle, and Hagrid bringing up the rear. Charlie had managed to convince Hagrid to let the boys go, reassuring him that they understood that the fun was over the night and that it was time to head back. Hagrid agreed reluctantly, grumbling how much trouble the twins had given him. However, despite the trials of the night, Charlie felt a strong sense of accomplishment of not only finding his brothers but also by helping out the wolf. After a few minutes of silence, Charlie spoke up.

“When did you find us?” called Charlie to Hagrid. 

“Right after you approached the wolf an’ your brothers were about to follow you to the clearing. I held ‘em back, but I was thinkin’ about running after you meself until I saw the wolf reach its paw out. After that, I had a feelin’ things would work out,” Hagrid chuckled.

“I wasn’t sure what I was doing half the time,” laughed Charlie weakly. “I just knew it was something I had to do.”

“It was awesome!” Fred shouted. “We thought you had gone loony from the full moon.”

“I thought we should call for help,” chimed in George. “It’s too bad Hagrid couldn’t come earlier and subdue the beast before it took a bite out of you.”

“Ar, that’s enough out of you two troublemakers for the night,” Hagrid muttered, turning around and clapping each twin on the shoulder, making them drop to the ground before they scrambled back up, their faces slightly paler than usual.

“Sorry I didn’t come earlier to help, Charlie,” said Hagrid. “I ran into Firenze, one of ‘em centaurs that live here. I asked if he’d seen any boys out tonight. Told me he hadn’t but would keep an eye out. Nice fellow he is, easier to talk to than some o’ the other centaurs like Bane.”

“We did run into some trouble before the wolf,” admitted Charlie. And he recounted the fight they had with the acromantula and why his brothers had come to the Forbidden Forest in the first place. 

“So that’s what that one was doing laying there Stunned! I had to take some time helping it get free. Kept having ter tell it I meant no harm,” said Hagrid warmly. 

“How long have you known the acromantula that live in the Forest?” asked Charlie.

Hagrid flushed. “Oh, we go way back, back before you lot were born. Yeah, it’s water un’er the bridge now,” Hagrid looked down in clear discomfort and quickly changed the subject. Charlie had the tact not to inquire any further for the night and elbowed his brothers to indicate they shouldn’t nose around. Thankfully, the twins seemed distracted by the story Hagrid was recounting about the wolves and their remarkable intellect.

“Folks get them mixed up with real werewolves, see, when the wolves in the Forest are practically harmless. Won’t approach the school unless there’s a fat deer nearby or somethin’. They even know to stay away from centaur territory. Smart animals, they are. Much more than the pair o’ you.”

“Maybe that’s what Lee saw and how that rumor started in the first place,” whispered George to Fred, unfazed by Hagrid’s remark. Fred nodded eagerly. Charlie wondered if there was something special about the wolves near Hogwarts. Perhaps Kettleburn would know. However, as he thought about this, he realized how tired he was and how eager he was for bed. To his relief, he began to see the bright candle lit walls of the castle and at last emerged out of the woods onto the field. Two silhouettes were visible standing outside of Hagrid’s cabin, waiting for them. As they drew near, he saw that one of them was Evelyn, while the other was professor McGonogall whom glared at the Weasley twins as they approached, her lips thin. “I’ll take it from here, Hagrid. Thank you for your work tonight. Do keep an eye out for these two in the future. I daresay this won’t the last time they try something like this.” “Of course, professor,” said Hagrid, bowing quickly. “Good. Now then. My office. Now!” she said coldly. As the group marched back to the castle, Hagrid waved at Charlie, who waved back goodnight. 

When they reached McGonogall’s office, she made Fred and George still in chairs she conjured from thin air and commanded them to tell her why they had entered the Forbidden Forest. They started from dinnertime, when they thought it would be a good chance to slip out without anyone noticing to entering the forest to get a photo of a werewolf until they were discovered by Charlie due to a run-in with the giant spider. Surprisingly, they left the part out about the wolf. Charlie realized this and quickly added that part in, knowing that he couldn’t let his younger brothers keep his mistakes a secret. Once they had finished, McGonogall closed her eyes briefly and then opened them, her pupils flared.

“Ever since the Sorting, I had a feeling you two would cause a lot of headache for the next seven years,” she said, grimacing. “The acts you two committed tonight were truly foolish. If your brother had not discovered you, you could have gotten into far more danger than an acromantula.” George tried to speak, but noticing that McGonogall was giving a look that rivalled their mother’s, he decided to be tactful and closed his mouth in silence. As for you, Mister Weasley,” she said, looking at Charlie. “I appreciate your initiative to search for your brothers, but surely you could have waited a little longer for more help to arrive. Perhaps myself, the Head Boy, or the Head Girl. You are not yet seventeen, and using magic without permission was reckless. And I would expect more from a Prefect to approach a wounded animal in the middle of the Forbidden Forest. Did professor Kettleburn bother to mention that in his classes?”

Charlie bowed his head. “I have no excuses, professor. I did what I thought was right.”

“Is that ever not the case?” McGonogall sighed. She rubbed her temple briefly before she spoke.

“Professor Dumbledore will hear about this, and letters will be sent to your parents tonight. Furthermore, forty points will be taken from Gryffindor for each of you Weasleys,” she said to the Weasley twins. “And a month of detention on Saturdays with me, starting tomorrow. As for you, Prefect Weasley,” she said, turning to Charlie. “The valor you proved tonight will be compensated with ten points to Gryffindor. Also, another five points to Gryffindor for Miss MacDonald’s willingness to fulfill her duties as a Prefect and patrol the corridors despite unexpected circumstances. You will, however, write up a report on why you used magic tonight, and you will be unable to access Prefect privileges for a week. Now to bed all of you,” she said firmly. "I have said the name Weasley too many times for one night." Evelyn grabbed Fred and George by the arms and dragged them along that went along with seemingly sullen looks, trying to hide their grins with little success.

“One moment, Weasley," Charlie turned to face McGonogall.

"Not you two," snapped Evelyn, closing the door as the twins began to protest "But she said Weasley-"

"For some reason, I believe that will not be the last time those boys will venture into the Forbidden Forest," said McGonogall with a sigh. "Now then. Weasley."

“Yes, professor?” asked Charlie inquisitively.

“Do those boys show potential?” 

“I’m sorry, ma’am?” 

“In Quidditch, Weasley,” she said impatiently. "As Beaters."

Charlie grinned in understanding. “Bennett thinks they could become a great pair of Beaters if they put in the work.”

  
“Well, do try to win back the points I had to take away tonight in your next game,” McGonogall sighed. “It would be nice to win back the House Cup from Slytherin while you’re still in Hogwarts. Don’t tell your brothers what I’ve said.”

“Of course,” Charlie nodded. 

“That’ll be all then. Goodnight, Weasley.”

“Actually, there was one more thing I had to tell you, professor.”

“Yes, Weasley?” she asked with a hint of impatience.

“It's about what I mentioned at the start of the school year about my career.”

“Yes, did you talk to Professor Kettleburn? He should have connections with The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.”

“No, not yet, but I’ve already decided. I don’t want to work for the Ministry or pursue a career in Quidditch. I’d like to work out in the field with magical creatures as soon as I can."

“You are aware of how dangerous such jobs are?"

"I am. I can handle it."

"I see. In that case, consult Professor Kettleburn about field positions. He should have a few connections in Europe. Maybe even with dragons..."

A glint appeared in Charlie's eyes. "That would be fantastic."

"I thought as much. Make sure to consult him by the end of the month. Understood?”

“I understand, professor. Goodnight.”

"Goodnight, Weasley."

Charlie closed the office door behind him. As he walked up the staircaise his warm four-poster bed, his mind buzzing with dragons flying across the sky breathing flames, he could hear wolves howling into the night.

**The End**


End file.
